Filed under: Fitness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Learn about early detection and prevention.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month; but what’s important is that, after October is over and the sea of pink has ebbed, you turn your awareness into action if you haven’t done so already. Gentlemen take note: Men can get breast cancer too. Early detection can be critical for dealing with breast cancer. Make sure you conduct regular breast self-exams. If you find anything that worries you, talk to your doctor right away.

While your genetics play a role in the development of some breast cancers, exercise is also an important lifestyle tool to reduce your risk for this and other cancers such as lung and colon cancer. It may even improve your chance of recovery if you’ve already been diagnosed. Numerous studies have found that regular exercise can reduce your risk for breast cancer by an average of 25%.

It’s never too late to start getting active. While exercise at any age can reduce your risk for breast cancer, the greatest benefit seems to be for adult women, especially those over the age of 50. It’s important to be physically active throughout the day, not just when you’re exercising. Studies have shown that sitting and other sedentary behaviors for long periods of time can negate the effects of regular exercise, for general health and cancer prevention. The good news is that household and recreational activities, followed by walking/cycling and occupational activities, have the greatest impact on reducing risk for breast cancer.

Exercise and physical activity during cancer treatment also can be healthy for mind and body, can manage fatigue, and may lower the risk of progression. If you have already been diagnosed with breast cancer, talk to your doctor about what kinds of activities are safe for you to do while undergoing treatment. Just another reason to get out and get active!

The Warrior Games are about to start. Here’s some information about this year’s events!

It’s almost time for the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs! Athletes and teams from each branch of service have already qualified in their respective trials and are set to compete from 28 September through 6 October at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado. The Warrior Games give wounded service members and veterans an opportunity to compete in adaptive sports. For some, this is a continuation of their competitive careers; for others, it’s a new experience and part of the healing process. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by to cheer on the athletes—admission is free! Semper Citius, Altius, Fortius!

Make sure the information in your injury-prevention app is backed by science, not hype.

These days there’s an app for just about everything, including injury prevention. In fact, there are many apps for that. But the truth is that most of them are not backed by science. Unfortunately, among the thousands of smartphone apps in the fitness, medical, and sports categories, only a handful provide evidence-based information on injury prevention.

After sifting through hundreds of different fitness and sports-related apps, researchers in a 2012 study found only 18 apps claiming to provide tips for injury prevention and rehabilitation. Only four of these apps contained claims for which they could find supporting scientific evidence. For example, the “Ankle” app was developed to implement an exercise program based on results from a well-conducted study. Other of these four apps appeared to be evidence-based only by coincidence, not as the result of a sound background search of the scientific literature. By comparison, five apps provided tips (such as warming up, stretching, proper shoes) to prevent running injuries despite a lack of evidence that the recommended practices actually reduce risk of injury. Other apps contained equally unsupported claims in areas such as shoulder injury, plantar fasciitis, and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). One even cited published literature that did not support its claims.

If you’re searching for injury-prevention strategies, it’s important to be wary of apps that contain inaccurate or unsupported information. The visual appeal and usability of an app may not necessarily reflect the quality of information, especially when it comes to injury-prevention tips. And while the study mentioned above is more than a year old, it’s unlikely the situation has changed. Check out HPRC’s injury-prevention resources or talk to a physical therapist if you have other concerns about injury prevention.

A new study looks at just how accurate your activity monitor really is.

Activity monitors have become increasingly popular tools to help people get and stay on track with their fitness (and dietary) goals. But, researchers from Iowa State University wanted to see just how accurate some of the popular monitors really are when it comes to reporting how many calories you burn during exercise. It turns out that the majority of the devices they tested gave pretty accurate estimates (within 10-15% error). The BodyMedia FIT was the most accurate one tested, with only a 9.3% error rating, which is close to some more expensive devices used for research purposes. Other monitors such as the FitBit Zip, FitBit One, Jawbone Up, and Nike Fuel Band all fell below 15%. Since many people tend to overestimate their activity levels on their own, an accurate activity monitor is an important tool to help people keep better track of their exercise habits. Check out our comparison chart to find out more about these monitors.

Do you know what “Total Force Fitness” is? It’s a Department of Defense model for building and maintaining health, wellness, and resilience.

Have you heard of Total Force Fitness, but you aren’t sure what it is? It’s a framework for building and maintaining health, readiness, and performance in the Department of Defense. It views health, wellness, and resilience as a holistic concept that recognizes “total fitness” as a “state in which the individual, family and organization can sustain optimal well-being and performance under all conditions”—a connection between mind, body, spirit, and family/social relationships. Total fitness shifts the perspective from treatment to wellness and focuses on prevention and strengths.

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury created a slide presentation for units and groups on Total Force Fitness: A Brief Overview that describes what TFF is, its core components, and each of its eight “domains” (behavioral, social, physical, environmental, medical and dental, spiritual, nutritional, and psychological). For more in-depth reading, check out the original Military Medicine Supplement that started it all, including a scholarly chapter for each domain.

Strong B.A.N.D.S is back for 2014! Learn about their goals and check out their activities planned for soldiers and families!

In recognition of National Physical Fitness and Sports month, Army garrisons across the globe are teaming up for the 4th Annual Strong B.A.N.D.S (Balance, Activity, Nutrition, Determination, and Strength) campaign under the Army MWR program. The campaign hopes to enhance community resilience through awareness of the health and fitness opportunities available to Warfighters and their families. Participating garrisons will host events such as volleyball games, swimming events, and golf tournaments. The Human Performance Resource Center has teamed up with Strong B.A.N.D.S to provide information cards on topics such as diet, injury prevention, and supplement safety to help you stay strong, ready, and resilient!

Check out the Strong B.A.N.D.S video montage from past years to get an idea what to expect!

Check out the customizable “One Shot One Kill” (OSOK) performance enhancement program to jumpstart your performance.

Wanting some holistic strategies to enhance your performance? Check out the “One Shot One Kill (OSOK) Performance Enhancement Program” that shows Warfighters how to set up and manage their own performance-enhancement system. OSOK is designed not only to enhance performance but also to jumpstart Warfighter resilience. It builds on the skills that Warfighters already possess and then teaches new ones as needed.

There are two ways you can use OSOK: as an individual through “OSOK Solo” and as a unit/group through “OSOK-IP Unit.” Both highlight “10 Rules of Engagement” and provide seven core modules: Controlled Response, Mind Tactics, Performance-Based Nutrition, Primal Fitness, Purpose, Code, and Recharge. OSOK also provides self-assessment forms so you can track your progress over time.

For other performance-enhancement programs and information about holistic (total) fitness, check out HPRC’s Total Force Fitness domain.

Have you heard of HITT? It’s the High Intensity Tactical Training (HITT) program, and its primary purpose is to enhance fitness levels, combat readiness, and resiliency for the United States Marine.

There are many components that contribute to a Marine's optimal readiness, including physical fitness, diet and nutrition, injury prevention, and fatigue management. A balanced and effective approach for optimum performance and combat conditioning should address all four aspects. That’s where HITT comes in.

HITT is a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that takes into consideration the physical demands of operational activities to help Marines optimize their combat readiness. The HITT program focuses on the key components of superior speed, power, strength endurance, combat readiness, and injury prevention.

The four major components of the HITT program include:

Injury Prevention (including active dynamic warm-up)

Strength and Power

Speed, Agility, and Endurance

Flexibility and Core Stability

The HITT workout program can be customized as a training tool for a unit or an individual. It can also supplement your current training routine. The workouts are divided into three different modules to address each of the four components listed above.

Exercise videos provide instruction and demonstrations on how to do the exercises and movement properly. The program also uses periodization to promote long-term training improvements while avoiding over-training. Lastly, the program is categorized into specific phases, each with its own objectives and set of training parameters:

Pre-Deployment Phase (Warrior, Combat, Athlete). The main goal is to build overall strength and performance, similar to “off-season training” in a traditional sport setting.

Deployment Phase (Combat). The objective is to maintain overall fitness levels and reduce the risk of injuries while deployed. This is the Marine’s “in-season training”.

Post-Deployment Phase (Athlete). The emphasis is reintegration/strengthening. If a Marine were to sustain injury or lose a significant level of performance, this phase would help get him/her return to full training status.

HITT is endorsed by the National Strength and Conditioning Associations (NSCA) Tactical Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) Department. By implementing the latest cutting-edge training methods and sound science, the HITT program builds fitness for today's tactical athlete – the United States Marine. Read more about HITT and other Marine fitness information on HPRC.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Check out our performance strategies for preventing common military injuries.

Injury prevention is critical in maintaining optimal performance and operational readiness. Ankle sprains, knee pain, and back pain are very common injuries in the military. Take the time now to protect yourself from injury, and you’ll be glad you did later. Read our performance strategies to help fend off common military and athletic injuries, compiled from our recent injury prevention series of posts.

Snap into shape! Learn about the benefits of using elastic bands during resistance training rather than free weights or weight-machine exercises.

Anything can disrupt your usual workout routine—summer travels, PCS, deployments, or injuries. If you need a way to stay in shape whatever the snafu, give resistance bands a try. Resistance band training involves targeting particular muscles by pulling and stretching elastic bands. Resistance bands come in different shapes, sizes, and even colors. Some look like oversized rubber bands; others look like cables or tubes. Depending on the length and type, these bands provide progressive resistance throughout various exercises. Unlike free weights, resistance bands also can be used to target key movements, such as a golf swing or a tennis serve. This focuses the exercise on targeted areas and can lead to stronger, more powerful muscles.

Resistance-band training has been studied for all types of people and for different types of activity levels, from NCAA Division I athletes to nursing-home patients. A study with people who were out of shape found that resistance exercises led to the same kinds of improvements in weight loss and strength as weight machines. In another study, athletes who trained with resistance bands were stronger and more powerful than those who used free weights alone. Resistance bands also can help improve muscle strength and range of movement after injury.

What’s more, resistance bands are relatively cheap, lightweight, and easily portable, so you can continue training even when you’re far from a gym. However, if you’re new to resistance bands, you need to learn to use them correctly to prevent injury and maximize your workout. If you’re interested in learning more about training with resistance bands, check out this pamphlet from the American College of Sports Medicine.

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